[Herky] Freshman Megan Gustafson helps Iowa Hawkeyes deny Illini rally, 61-56

[Sue Bailey]

  Freshman Megan Gustafson helps Iowa Hawkeyes deny Illini rally, 61-56


    Hawkeyes will be an eight or nine seed in Thursday's Big Ten
    tournament opener

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Iowa center Megan Gustafson (10) scores past Illinois guard Sarah 
Hartwell (0) in a NCAA women's basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena 
in Iowa City on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016. (Adam Wesley/The Gazette)
	

Douglas Miles

The Gazette

<https://twitter.com/douglasmilesCRG> <mailto:douglas.miles at thegazette.com>

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Douglas<http://www.thegazette.com/section/blogs?staffID=dmiles>

Feb 27, 2016 at 8:47 pm | Print View

IOWA CITY – With Iowa’s regular season now officially in the rearview 
mirror, the only question left for Sunday is who to pack the home or 
road jerseys for in Thursday’s Big Ten women’s basketball tournament game.

Iowa clinched at least a No. 9 seed in the conference tournament after 
holding off a furious Illinois rally and prevailing, 61-56, before 4,610 
fans Saturday on Senior Night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“We’re glad to get the win today,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. “It was 
obviously a game of momentum.”

Iowa (18-12, 8-10 Big Ten) could move up a spot to No. 8 if Northwestern 
pulls an upset Sunday at Nebraska. The Hawkeyes are locked into the 
8-versus-9 game – most likely against Nebraska or Michigan – Thursday at 
11 a.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Win there, and 
sixth-ranked Maryland (25-3) awaits in a Friday quarterfinal.

“You know it’s a brand new season, right?,” Bluder said. “Anything can 
happen. We want to go into that Big Ten tournament and do as well as we 
can.”

Whether or not two wins in Indianapolis – which would give them 20 
overall and include one over a top-10 team – would be enough for Iowa to 
secure an NCAA tournament berth for the 10th year in a row is uncertain. 
Either way, the Hawkeyes will need to avoid the types of offensive 
droughts that nearly derailed them Saturday.

Iowa closed the third quarter with 16 straight points and possessed an 
18-point lead with just over seven minutes to play, but scored just six 
fourth-quarter points and saw its lead whittled down to one at 57-56 
with 1:06 left.

“That’s kind of been the story for us,” Bluder said. “We’re a game of 
momentum, game of swings. When we’re hitting from 3, we’re really 
rolling. But when we’re not hitting from 3, we keep shooting them and we 
shot too many today.”

Freshman Megan Gustafson delivered a bucket around Illinois center 
Chatrice White with 45 seconds to play to give the Hawkeyes a 59-56 
lead, then two free throws from sophomore Chase Coley sealed victory 30 
seconds later.

“I just got the ball and I kind of felt that she (White) was on a 
different side,” Gustafson said. “I just turned to the middle and kind 
of felt the confidence and that was important.”

Coley finished with 10 points, her ninth double-figure scoring effort in 
the last 12 games. With a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds, Gustafson 
recorded a double-double for the seventh time in 10 games, nine of which 
she scored in double figures.

White displayed immense offensive skill that belied her sophomore 
status. She led all scorers with 29 points, and added 11 rebounds for 
Illinois (9-20, 2-16).

“It was a little bit different for me guarding her (White) because she 
is an outside shooter,” Gustafson said. “I’m used to being physical down 
in the post, so I thought it was really nice to go against that and see 
what I could do out there.”

Sophomore Whitney Jennings totaled 14 points with four 3-pointers, while 
Ally Disterhoft added 13. Guard Alexa Kastanek distributed a career-high 
seven assists, and Iowa maintained a 44-31 rebounding advantage.

l Comments: douglas.miles at thegazette.com

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